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Money-making apps can be useful for earning some extra cash through habits or hobbies. If you're looking for apps that can help you make a bit of extra money, we found four strong apps to consider.
Best Apps for Earning Money
These are our top picks for the best money-making apps:
Rakuten Rewards - Product Name Only : Best for getting cash back on purchases onlineIbotta - Product Name Only : Best for getting cash back on purchases in the storeSurveyJunkie - Product Name Only : Best for making money through surveysSwagbucks - Product Name Only : Best for earning cash through a variety of ways
If you're looking for additional tools to help you with your financial goals, you also might want to look through our guides on the best budgeting apps or the best personal finance software.
Compare the Best Money-making Apps
Best Money-Making Apps FAQs
What is the best app to earn money?
When you're searching for an app that can help you earn money, the best option may depend on which habits or hobbies you think you can feasibly maintain. For example, if you don't mind taking surveys, you may want to try out a survey app. If you do all the shopping for your household, you might prefer a cash-back app instead.
Are money-making apps safe?
A safe mobile app will tell you what information it gathers in its privacy policy. It should also tell you how the information may be used.
Are money-making apps free?
The best money-making apps will be free to download. That said, if you decide to get a cash-back app, be aware that your awards are based on your everyday spending.
Money-making App Reviews
Best for Getting Cash Back on Purchases Online
Rakuten
Rakuten is a strong option if you'd like to earn cash back on your online purchases. Rakuten is a rewards app and website that lets you get cash back at over 3,500 stores.
Here's how it works: You'll go to the Rakuten website or app and choose the store you'd like to shop at. When you make your purchase, the cash-back offer will automatically be added to your account.
Rakuten is easy to use and intuitively designed. If you have questions about the app, there's also a help center that addresses commonly asked questions.
You'll receive cash back through a check or your PayPal account every three months. If you'd prefer to earn money more frequently, you might prefer one of our other top picks.
Rakuten also lets you shop in a store, but you'll need to take a couple of steps. First, you'll have to select the "In-Store" tab when you open the app. Then, once you find an offer you like, you'll have to select "Link Offer" and include your credit card information. At the store, you'll need to use that credit card to obtain the offer. Other apps may have a simpler process for in-store purchases.
Minimum amount needed to redeem cash: $5
Download: Google Play Store | Apple Store
Best for Getting Cash Back on Purchases in Stores
Ibotta
You might like Ibotta if you do a lot of in-store shopping. This cash-back app stands out because it's partnered with over 1,500 popular brands and lets you save at stores in a variety of ways. You can link your loyalty account to the app, submit receipts (Ibotta will scan them for any qualifying purchases), or buy gift cards through the app. Typically, you'll see cash-back earnings within 24 hours.
You'll need to earn at least $20 before you can withdraw your earnings. Other money-making apps may let you make withdrawals at $5.
Minimum amount needed to redeem cash: $20
Download: Google Play Store | Apple Store
Best for Making Cash Through Surveys
SurveyJunkie
SurveyJunkie emerged as our top picks in survey apps because it almost always has ample surveys available, and the process for redeeming points is a lot simpler and easier than other apps.
You only need to earn a minimum of 500 points (the equivalent of $5), and you can redeem them through PayPal or online gift cards. In most cases, the rewards can be redeemed instantly. For example, if you get an online gift card, the code will be sent to your email for you to use on the same day.
You may not qualify for every survey that's available. Usually, you'll have to answer a set of questions to determine your eligibility. Based on the information you give, you'll either be redirected to the survey or told you aren't eligible (you'll get a few points for your time).
When you're taking surveys, you'll need to have patience. You might be asked the same question repeatedly or you might answer a handful of questions before realizing you do not qualify for a particular survey.
Minimum amount needed to redeem cash: $5
Download: Google Play Store | Apple Store
Best for Earning Cash Through a Variety of Ways
Swagbucks
Swagbucks might be an appealing option if you are looking for an app that has a variety of ways of earning cash,. Swagbucks is a versatile money-making app where you'll earn points (referred to as SB) by completing surveys, playing games, scanning your receipts for qualifying cash rewards, and finishing other activities.
You'll be able to redeem SB for gift cards or transfer money through a PayPal account. Generally, 500SB is the equivalent of $5.
The amount of SB you'll earn for different tasks can vary greatly. The value can be anywhere from 2 SB to up to 10,0000 SB. Usually, higher-value tasks require substantially more effort or are more difficult to qualify for. Also, keep in mind it may take up to 10 business days until gift cards are processed and sent to your email.
Minimum amount needed to redeem cash: $5
Download: Google Play Store | Apple Store
Alternative Apps to Consider
These cash-earning apps weren't chosen as our top picks, but you still might try one of these out if you're looking for additional options.
- Google Opinion Rewards: Google Opinion Rewards is a survey app that lets you redeem rewards when you reach $2. However, when you use the app, you might not get any new surveys available for a while. When we used the app, we were only able to take three surveys before none were available.
- Make Money: Make Money is a cash-earning app where you earn points by taking surveys or downloading other apps and completing certain activities. You can redeem points for cash through an Amazon account or a Bitcoin account. Other apps may offer more ways to redeem cash or earn rewards.
- Zap Surveys: Zap Surveys is a survey app. While Zap Surveys has a lot of surveys and lets you earn additional money by signing in every day, you need to reach $25 before you can cash out. Other survey apps will let you redeem cash starting at $5.
- Inbox Dollars: You can earn money through this app by taking surveys, scanning receipts, and trying new apps or games. However, you must reach at least $15 before you can request cash. Other survey apps will let you redeem cash starting at $5.
- Fetch: Fetch is a rewards app that lets you earn points by scanning receipts. You can redeem points to get gift cards from restaurants, retail stores, and movie theatres. It wasn't our top pick because other cash-back apps may have more cash-back offers available.
- Upside: You might like Upside if you want to earn cash back on gas, groceries, and restaurants when you use your debit card or credit card. However, if you'd like to earn cash back specifically on groceries or other retail stores, other apps may have more prominent features.
- Coupons.com: Coupons.com lets you earn cash back on your purchases by submitting receipts or linking your store loyalty cards. However, the app's features weren't as robust as our top picks for cash-back purchases.
- Shopkick: This app lets you earn reward points called kicks in a variety of ways. For example, you can earn kicks by scanning your receipt and getting points for certain items or walking into select stores and checking in. Shopkick only lets you redeem gift cards, though. Other money-making apps may offer more ways to redeem rewards.
- Surveys on the Go: Surveys on the Go lets you redeem rewards through PayPal, Venmo, Amazon.com, Starbucks, or a Visa prepaid debit card. Other apps may have more surveys available, though. You'll also need to reach at least $10 before you can cash out your rewards.
App Trustworthiness and BBB Ratings
We include ratings from the Better Business Bureau to evaluate how companies address customer issues and handle transparency. Keep in mind a strong BBB rating won't guarantee you'll have a good relationship with a company. You also might want to read customer reviews or talk to current customers before making your decision.
| Company | BBB Rating |
| Rakuten | B |
| Ibotta | B |
| SurveyJunkie | B |
| Swagbucks | B (via Prodege, LLC) |
Rakuten, Ibotta, SurveyJunkie, and Prodege, LLC (the company that operates Swagbucks) received B ratings because all three have received a high volume of customer complaints on the BBB website.
According to the BBB website, scammers falsely used the Survey Junkie name to impersonate the company in 2022. Survey Junkie is not a mystery shopper program nor does have a website named "sjunkie.co." If you see the mystery shopper scam or scam website, the BBB says to file a report with the Federal Trade Commission.
Why You Should Trust Us: Experts' Advice on Choosing the Best Money-Making Apps
We consulted financial planning experts to inform these picks and provide their advice on finding the best money-making app for your needs.
Here's what they had to say about the best apps for earning money. (Some text may be lightly edited for clarity.)
Are money-making apps worth it?
Mykail James, MBA, certified financial education instructor, BoujieBudgets.com:
"I think cash-back apps are great, especially if you are already a shopper. When it comes to trying to find smaller ways to get a couple of extra dollars, work the current habits you already have. If you're someone who does all the grocery shopping in the house, look for those apps that give discounts and cash back for your grocery shopping."
Sophia Acevedo, certified educator in personal finance, banking reporter, Personal Finance Insider:
"Money-making apps might be worthwhile if you want to make a bit of extra money each month by taking quizzes, scanning your receipts for cashback rewards, or performing some other activity. But make sure to manage your expectations. The amount of money you'll earn on an app depends on how much effort you put into the activity."
What should people be mindful of when using a money-making app?
Mykail James, MBA, CFEI:
"Understand what these apps are there they are really paying for — your feedback and data. Most of these are market research companies that are paying for sourcing your data."
Sophia Acevedo, CEPF:
"When you're searching for money-making apps, read through customer reviews to get a better idea of how it works and whether the platform is easy to use. You can also carefully review the app's privacy policy to learn about the information being collected and used."
Methodology: How Did We Choose the Best Money-Making Apps?
Personal Finance Insider's mission is to help smart people make the best decisions with their money. We understand that "best" is often subjective, so in addition to highlighting the clear benefits of a financial product, we outline the limitations, too.
To choose our favorite apps for earning money, we compiled a list of over a dozen popular mobile money-making apps. We didn't include gig economy apps like TaskRabbit or Uber because your availability to sign up for some of these apps may depend on where you live (there may be paused registrations for some areas). We also didn't include them because your experience with these apps may vary depending on your skill sets.
Most of our top picks had at least 20,000 reviews in both the Apple and Google Play stores. We reviewed each app's sign-up process and user experience by using the apps for two weeks. We also considered whether each app accomplished everything it advertised, and how regular users reviewed the product on the Apple and Google Play stores.